Helene Costello (June 21, 1906 – January 26, 1957) was an American stage and film actress, most notably of the silent era.

Early life and career

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Costello was the youngest daughter of the prominent stage and pioneering film actor Maurice Costello and his actress wife

Mae Costello Mae Costello (born Mae Altschuk; August 13, 1882 – August 2, 1929) was an American stage and film actress of the early twentieth-century. Early life Mae Costello was born Mae Altschuk in Brooklyn, New York to Catherine (''née'' Callender) and ...

( née Altschuk). She had an older sister Dolores who also became an actress and would go on to marry

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

. Costello first appeared on screen, opposite her father, in the 1909 film adaptation of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

''. She would continue acting in films throughout the 1910s as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

and also worked in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and appeared in stage roles. In 1924, she appeared with her sister Dolores in ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fi ...

''. Shortly thereafter, both sisters signed contracts with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

Costello reached her peak of public popularity in the mid-1920s and earned a reported $3,000 a week. Although she had been appearing on screen since her early childhood, Costello was selected as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1927, a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States, which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. In 1928, Costello co-starred in the first all-talking full-length feature film '' Lights of New York''. Later that same year, she was released from her contract with Warner Bros. after she refused to star as a leading lady opposite

Rin Tin Tin Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin (September 1918 – August 10, 1932) was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, L ...

once again; she had previously appeared alongside the canine star in the 1926 film '' While London Sleeps''. Costello's final substantial role was opposite her sister Dolores in the all-star

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical revue ''

The Show of Shows ''The Show of Shows'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical revue film directed by John G. Adolfi and distributed by Warner Bros. The all-talking Vitaphone production cost $850,000 and was shot almost entirely in Technicolor. ''The Show o ...

'' (1929). Costello and her sister performed in the "Meet My Sister" musical number. After the advent of sound, Costello's career declined reportedly because her voice did not record well. She was also beset with personal problems including illnesses, an addiction to drugs and alcohol, three divorces, a public custody battle with her third ex-husband and financial difficulties.Lowe 2005 p.133 From 1930 to 1934, Costello did not appear in a film. In September 1935, she signed a contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

and returned to the screen in a supporting role in ''

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'' (1936). Her final role was a bit part in the 1942 film '' The Black Swan''. Later in 1942, Costello filed for bankruptcy.

Personal life

Costello was married four times, each marriage ending in divorce. Her first marriage was to football player John W. Regan in 1927. They divorced in June 1928. Costello's second marriage was to actor/director

Lowell Sherman Lowell J. Sherman (October 11, 1888 – December 28, 1934) was an American actor and film director. In an unusual practice for the time, he served as both actor and director on several films in the early 1930s. He later turned exclusively to d ...

, whom she married on March 15, 1930, in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. They separated in November 1931 and were divorced in May 1932. Costello third marriage was to Dr. Arturo de Barrio, a lawyer who came from a prominent Cuban family. They were married in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

on January 6, 1933. Their marriage was considered invalid because Costello's divorce from her second husband was not finalized. They married for a second time in June 1933 in Los Angeles. They were divorced in 1939. Her fourth and final marriage was to artist George Lee Le Blanc, whom Costello married in 1940. The couple had a daughter, Diedre, on February 18, 1941. Costello filed for divorce on August 6, 1947. Shortly after Costello filed for divorce, Le Blanc joined the Merchant Marine. Before leaving, Le Blanc left Diedre in the care of Costello's sister Dolores claiming that Costello was unfit to care for Diedre because of her alcoholism. Costello denied Le Blanc's claim and attempted to regain sole custody in September 1947. During one custody hearing, Costello's father and Lionel Barrymore (Dolores Costello's ex brother-in-law) testified that Costello did not have a drinking problem. In April 1948, Costello was forced to drop her suit due to financial troubles and Le Blanc was awarded temporary custody of Diedre. Costello and Le Blanc were divorced in June 1948.

Death

On January 24, 1957, Costello was admitted to Patton State Hospital under the assumed name of Adrienne Costello for treatment for a drug and alcohol addiction. She died there two days later of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

. Her sister, Dolores Costello Barrymore, was with her when she died. Her funeral was held on January 30, after which she was interred in an unmarked grave at Calvary Cemetery in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

Other

For her contribution to the motion film industry, Helene Costello has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue and Melrose Avenue. The intersection with Hollywood Boulevard was once a symbol of Hollywood itself. The famed intersection fell into d ...

in Hollywood. Comedian

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First? ...

, born Louis Cristillo, changed his name in honor of Helene Costello. Coincidentally, both of them were born in 1906.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, Helene 1906 births 1957 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American child actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses American stage actresses Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Los Angeles) Deaths from pneumonia in California Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Vaudeville performers Warner Bros. contract players WAMPAS Baby Stars Drug-related deaths in California Alcohol-related deaths in California